The Return of the Foot Clan
by hferg
Summary: First story in the Safe Haven series. When the turtles go to a club, they are confronted by an unknown man who has a purpose for them. Who is he, and why does he want to see Splinter? Based on the movies, direct sequel to the second. Rated T for violence.
1. The Mystery Man

_Author's Notes (A/N): A new story by me! Yeah, sadly, my writers block finally cleared, and this is what replaced it. I plan on writing my other stories again soon, the next chapter of the Final Fantasy one is almost ready to go._

_A bit of background on this story. It takes place in an AU version of the movies. I was originally going to have this story take place after the '07 CGI movie, but with what I have in the plotline, it would have been impossible. I couldn't put it before the movie, because then I'd be without Leo, unless I made it WAY before the movie, which I didn't want to do. As such, this story takes place two years after the end of the second movie, and will reference it heavily. It ignores the CGI movie completely, hence the AU. I also screwed with the time line a bit, moving the second movie up to having taken place in 2008/2009 rather than 1990/1991. As such, this story takes place in the present time, though, whether I'll mention things that have happened in New York since the original movies came out, I haven't decided yet. This story is designed to be both a stand alone one, and also the start of a series, should I decide to do a sequel. I will have plenty of references to the second movie, as well as both cartoon series, and even probably the comics a little bit._

_Ugh, that was a mouthful... All that said, I hope you enjoy it!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, only the original characters (OC's) that are featured within._

**Chapter 1 – The Mystery Man**

Night time in New York, specifically somewhere in Manhattan. In the shadows of the city's buildings four figures walked down a dark alley. In the distance, a siren could be heard, though nobody seemed to pay any attention to it.

"This is going to be so much fun!" One of the four was quite eager to get to wherever they were going.

"Yeah, Mikey, we know. You've been excited all week about coming here," the one next to him responded.

"Hey, Raph, so have you. We all have," the one in the back commented to the one in front.

"Guys, knock it off. We're going out tonight to have a good time, not argue amongst ourselves. Besides, it'll be nice to be able to mingle freely with people who aren't April and Casey." The fourth one was the most rational of the set.

As the last one finished speaking, the four stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway and into the light of the street corner. Once under the light, it was obvious that they didn't appear human, rather they were four humanoid turtles. They were missing their weapons, they'd stashed them in the alley after coming up to street level, but they were still in their pads and bandannas. As they looked around, they spotted the location they sought, about a block's walk away. The blue bandanna-wearing turtle decided to take the lead.

Their destination was a club that had recently opened, called Safe Haven. The ads and fliers posted all over Manhattan promoted the club as a place where those who were different from the norm could come and hang out freely, mentioning cosplayers, goths, and various other alternative lifestyle groups, as well as a few of the gangs that had popped up around the city in the last two years. It had been open a couple weeks, though tonight was its official grand opening celebration. Nobody seemed to know who the owner was, though the building the club was in had been one that was raided by police a little over a year ago in one of their gang crackdowns. It had changed hands a few times since then.

As expected, there was already a line outside the club once the turtles arrived, and those in line were dressed in a variety of ways, including at least one who was dressed up as a ninja turtle. The red bandanna, seeing this, simply shook his head, trying not to laugh as he and the others made their way to the back of the line. It wasn't long before someone came up to the group though. "Hey, you four, come with me." They looked and noticed it was the rather large man who had been standing at the door when they arrived.

"Us?" The red one spoke up. "What for?"

"You're supposed to go on inside. Manager's orders." The bouncer shrugged, it seemed he didn't know what was going on any more than the turtles did. Curious, and a bit nervous, they did as they'd been asked, and followed the man to the door, where he opened it to let them in, getting them many groans and complaints from the various people in line.

The four turtles looked around as they entered, taking note of everything they could. The door they entered led to a landing with steps leading down to the floor below. The main area of the building was two stories tall, with a large dance floor in the middle. Around the dance floor was a slightly raised area with several tables and booths. This area covered the edge of the room most of the way around. In a corner on the far side was a DJ booth, with a large man behind computers, speakers, and a turnstile, playing various dance beats. Along the left wall was the bar itself. The club did sell alcohol, though how it was able to do so and allow minors in was anyone's guess. Directly across the entryway was another set of stairs that led up to a second floor area, though what was up there could only be guessed at as the hallway beyond rounded a corner and was hidden by the wall. Along the ceiling were several sets of multicolored lights flashing in various patterns, adding to the mood of the club, and, the turtles noticed, several security cameras were up there as well.

"The owner's apparently relying on technology more than bodies for his security." It would be the blue bandanna that would make that sort of comment.

"Well, Leo, to some extent it stands to reason. I mean, when you're dealing with various groups like this place would, how do you get bodies you can trust?" The purple bandanna countered the comment skillfully.

"Who cares? I need a drink." The red bandanna left the four and headed straight for the bar.

"Wait, Raph. Ugh." The orange bandanna sighed and followed the red one, leaving the blue one, Leo, and the purple one alone at the base of the stairs.

"Well, Don, I guess we should go find a table?" Leo commented to the other.

"Yeah, sure. I'm not much of a dancer anyway." Don couldn't help but smirk a bit at his comment. Of the four, only the orange one, Mikey, was any good at dancing, and all of them knew it. The two made their way to an empty seat, and were soon joined by the others, who'd gotten all four of them sodas. They were all four still looking around, taking note of the various groups and gangs inside, and remarking about how everyone seemed to be getting along quite well, when the DJ started to speak.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I am your DJ tonight, DJ Smooth, and I'll be keeping this party going all night long!" His comments gained cheers from virtually everyone in the club. "Thank you! Now, as was advertised, tonight is the grand opening celebration for the Safe Haven, and normally the owner or manager would make some sort of speech welcoming everyone here. However, our host has told me repeatedly that he wishes to remain anonymous, though I do guarantee you he is here tonight. So please, enjoy yourselves, and party hard, but party safe!" And with that the music was cranked back up.

"Party hard but party safe? What kind of catchphrase is THAT?" Raph remarked out loud.

"Hey, it's fitting, isn't it?" Leo's comment was almost immediate.

"Well, I don't know about you dudes, but I see a spot on the dance floor that's calling my name. See you!" And with that Mikey headed out to mingle with the crowd.

As they sat there, looking around, the group was occasionally approached by others, telling them how good their costumes looked, and congratulating them on their creativity. It seemed like they were a big hit, though for the most part, other than Mikey when he was dancing, they were left alone.

It had been two years since their encounter with Shredder and the Foot, which had led to their battle in a nightclub similar to this one. That encounter had led to Shredder's death out on the dock behind the nightclub. Well, that was the unofficial story anyway, since there was never a body recovered on the docks, and the police weren't even aware there was one to be recovered. Since that time, there had been many turtle sightings, though every one of them had eventually been proven to be a person dressed up as a turtle.

The real turtles had become a bit of an urban legend because of this, and many were under the belief that they themselves had only been humans in a costume putting on a show. In fact, this belief is what took so long for the police to be called to the nightclub to begin with, nobody realized that their appearance and the ensuing fight weren't a part of the show.

Since that time, the city had become quite peaceful. The Foot had left, returned to Japan, according to most sources. The street gangs that were left behind were all to weak to pose much of a threat, and most of them were taken out by police when they cracked down on the gangs. Even so, it seemed that the city was on the verge of something big, and nobody was sure what or when it was coming.

As ten o'clock rolled around, Leo took another look around the club. He spotted several people he'd seen before, most of the people here had been in the building since they showed up a couple hours earlier. Two in particular seemed to stand out to him, however. One was a young Caucasian man with shoulder length hair wearing a dark blue shirt and jeans, he stood out because Leo swore he'd seen the man looking at them several times. The other was an Oriental woman in a tight leather outfit with black hair, though why she stood out, he wasn't sure, but for some reason her presence bothered him. By this time, Mikey had gotten tired of dancing and rejoined the others. "Wow, this place is fun, but exhausting."

"I'm going to get us all another round, then we should head out on patrol." Leo stood up and headed to the bar, receiving no complaints from the others. Once he arrived, he was somewhat surprised when the bartender didn't even ask, but simply put four sodas down in front of him. "Uh..."

"Manager said to get you and your brothers a round on him." This statement shocked Leo a bit. How did the manager know they were brothers? Was it just a guess or was he aware of who and what they really are?

"Who is he? I'd like to thank him."

"He said he doesn't want to reveal himself right now." Before Leo could ask anything else, the bartender had moved on to wait on other customers. A bit disturbed by the short conversation, the blue turtle took the drinks back to his brothers and sat down, relaying what had been said.

"You think he knows us?" Mikey's natural curiosity was showing through.

"I doubt it, the only one we'd know personally that would be into something like this is Keno, and he's in college upstate." Leo's quick answer kept the others from asking any more questions. "I don't like this guys, finish up and let's go."

"Yeah, sure, Junior." Raph's sarcastic remark didn't affect the apparent leader any, and that made him change his tune quickly. "Wow, you really are on edge, aren't you?"

"Something's not right, I've been feeling like we've been being watched all night, and I don't mean by the cameras."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, it does seem like we've been getting more attention paid to us than I thought we would." Don seemed to consider the possibilities quickly.

"I thought it was just some bad tacos that we had for lunch." Mikey's quick comment led to a bit of groaning from the others, particularly Raph.

"Come on, let's get going." Leo's request was taken as an order, one the others were somewhat quick to agree to. They left, and Leo couldn't help but feel like they were still being watched as they did.

They quickly made their way to the alley, retrieving their weapons and holsters, before keeping to the shadows and heading toward a tall building a few blocks down. Here, in another alley, they were suddenly stopped by the feeling of some sort of a presence nearby. "Who's there?" Leo's question was more of a demand, his edginess beginning to make him a bit jumpy.

"Eenie, Meanie, Miney, Moe..." The voice came from the shadows, singing the children's rhyme slowly as if counting the four brothers. "Catch a turtle by the toe." A laugh followed the second line, and the four all drew their weapons at once.

"Come out. Show yourself!"

"Sure thing, Raphael." The voice was coming from in front of them, and the fact that he'd addressed the red bandanna by name made them all wary. Without further words, the man stepped into the light that filled the center of the alley, causing Leo to gasp a bit. It was the long-haired man he'd seen repeatedly at the club. "Ah, you saw me, Leonardo?" The man laughed a bit again. "Guess I didn't quite hide myself as well as I thought I did. No matter." He shrugged and stood there, looking at the four. "You can go ahead and put your weapons away, I'm not here to fight you."

"Forgive us if we don't believe you." Raph got himself into a fighting stance, which seemed to only annoy their mystery guest.

"So impulsive, how did you ever beat Saki?" His words got the attention of all four turtles now, each of them getting into a stance, ready for a fight.

"What do you know of him? Who are you?" Leo's questions were demands, ones that the man obviously had no intention of answering tonight.

"Sorry, guys, but there's only one way I'm going to answer your questions." He smiled at them once again. "I want to meet your master face to face. Only then will I reveal my secrets."

"Like hell you're getting anywhere near him!" Raph's anger was nearing the boiling point now, and the man merely laughed at him once more.

"Oh, please, if I wanted to, I already would have gone to your home and met him there. Fact is, I do have a sense of honor, and would prefer to meet him on neutral turf. I'll even let you pick where and when. Once you are ready, you'll be able to find me in the Haven. Until then, aren't you late for your patrol?" The man smirked once more, stepping aside to allow the four to pass, which they did eventually, giving him a fairly wide berth in the process. The man made no move to attack them, or impede their passing, in fact, he just watched them go, and kept watching them as they faded into the shadows of the night.

"Do you think they'll do it?" A female voice rang out from behind him, and instantly the man's smile faded from his face as he turned to meet the source of the new voice. Out of the shadows stepped the leather-clad woman from the club.

"I don't know, Jade. But even if they don't do it willingly, there's more than one way to get their assistance. This is just simply the easiest and most honorable way of doing it."

"You know, you really sound like him when you talk like that."

"I know." The man scowled a bit. "As much as I hate to admit it, he is right about some things. Come on, we need to return to our jobs." And with that, the two faded back into the shadows themselves.

_A/N: Well, let's see, what can I say? I hope you all enjoy this, I'm rating it Teen for now, though I may change it later, since I'm not sure how far I can push the violence before having to change it. Next chapter we'll deal with the meeting, because you KNOW it has to happen, otherwise there's no story! At the meeting, we'll get some information about the mystery man, and a few revelations that date back eighteen years. Also, the Foot will show up soon, maybe next chapter, depending on how much I get in it. (It's called Return of the Foot, so you had to know it was coming!)_

_Please feel free to leave a review or comment! I'd like to know what everyone thinks._


	2. The Meeting

_A/N: Hey, look, it's chapter 2 of the Turtles story! This time around, we learn not only the identity of the man, but his reasons for approaching the turtles. I honestly have no idea how long this is going to be. I have it planned out in my head, at least the significant events, but both chapters I've written so far have had something added to them while I was writing them that wasn't in my original plans._

_Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, only the scenario and the Ocs._

**Chapter 2 – The Meeting**

"...So, he wishes to meet with me face to face?" The old rat sat in his room, the four young turtles seating across from his table. They had returned from patrol and told their master everything that had happened.

"Yes, Master Splinter. He said that he would only answer our questions if he got to meet with you." Leonardo had taken up the role of primary speaker for the brothers, something which he did regularly when they all had something to discuss.

"And you do not know who he is?"

"Nah, I ain't never seen him before." Raphael grumbled, a bit annoyed at having been spoken to by the man the way they had been. "And if I had, I woulda knocked his a-"

"That's enough, Raph!" Leo glared at his brother a bit annoyed. The entire time they had been on patrol, Raphael had been grumbling and moaning about being insulted by the mystery man. He had managed to stay relatively silent, but Splinter's question had given him the opportunity to voice his frustrations.

"Why does he bother you so, my son?"

"He... he questioned our ability. He asked how we were able to beat Saki. He said that if he wanted, he could come down here and meet you in our home! He acted like he knew who we are, and he wasn't afraid, like we were nothing to him!" It was apparent that Raph had taken the encounter as a personal insult, though nobody was quite sure why.

"If he knew Saki by name, he may be more aware of the activities of our old enemy than you realize, Raphael. He may know more about you, about us, than we wish to believe." Splinter's calm demeanor and voice seemed to settle the angry turtle a bit, though he was still upset.

"If that's the case, would it be wise to take the meeting then?"

Splinter considered his answer to this question for a few seconds. "We may not have a choice, Donatello. If he waited to speak to you until you were in the open, there is a chance he has a reason for doing so."

"He's protecting himself by keeping us, and him, in the open." Leonardo's statement drew a nod of confirmation from the rat.

"But why would he need protection?" Mikey for once had a good question.

"That may be why he wishes to speak to us." Splinter looked over the four and smiled slightly. "I will meditate on this tonight, and have an answer for you to return to the club with in the morning. I would suggest you all get some rest, my sons. I fear the peace this city has enjoyed may be nearing it's end."

Three nights later, the turtles returned to the Haven. Much like when they were there before, the bouncer let them in right away, and much like before, those in line were not happy. Once inside, the four looked around, but saw no sign of the mysterious man. Shrugging it off for the moment, the group got a round of drinks and found themselves a table. The night seemed to be a replay of their previous trip to the club, occasionally being approached and complimented on their costumes, though one or two mocked them for being unoriginal. The turtles shrugged them all off, though they did carry on short conversations with some of the patrons.

After about an hour, though, they were beginning to get tired of waiting. "Man, I thought he said he'd be here when we had an answer."

"Well, Raph, it's not like he owns the place or anything. Maybe he had something to do tonight." Mikey's quick comment only gained an irritated growl from the temperamental turtle.

"Guys, knock it off." Leo took a moment to reprimand his brothers, and when he looked around again, he spotted the one they were looking for. "There he is." It was somewhat obvious that the man had come from the second floor of the nightclub, as if he'd come from outside, he would have had to pass the turtles.

The man in question had indeed shown up, apparently while the group was distracted with each other, as none of the turtles had seen him come from upstairs. He took his time working the room, and though he stayed away from the dance floor, he seemed to be avoiding the turtles as well, talking to random people. He ended up at the bar, drinking and talking to someone. After a few minutes, Don went up to the bar, it was his turn to order.

"I take it you have an answer." The man didn't even turn to Don, though he knew the comment was directed at him.

"He's waiting for you."

"Good, I have a few things to do, but I'll meet you in the alley we first met in about an hour." Don nodded, even if the man couldn't see, and took his round back to the table where he relayed the message.

"I don't like it, Leo." Raph was still annoyed about the way things were happening. "I mean, why does he have to be so cloak and daggary?"

"Look around, Raph." Leo gestured to the floor they were on. As Raphael did as Leo asked, he realized suddenly what the lead turtle meant. There were several groups in the club, including the Goths and fetishists that the club had targeted for patronage. But there were also members of several street gangs, some of which the turtles had dealt with in the past. There were also members of the Haitian drug cartels, and at least a few people who were suspected of being in the Mafia.

"I get it now, Leo. With all the various groups in here, he can't show favoritism to anyone without risking initiating some sort of violence." Raph sighed and shook his head. "This place is a powder keg waiting to blow."

"Yes, it is, though it seems that the management has somehow gotten everyone to agree to coexist peacefully." Don's two cents didn't change things much, but they confirmed the thoughts of the others.

While the others had been discussing things, Michelangelo had run off and begun dancing again. This didn't seem to concern the brothers much, though, as by that point Leonardo had noticed their mystery man being cornered by a known drug dealer and a mid-level mobster. Although they couldn't hear the conversation, the turtles had been taught to read lips, and Leo decided that it was in their best interests to do so.

"Look, I know you don't like him, and he doesn't like you. That's all well and good. Fact is, you can hate each other all you want, but in here you will get along." The man was not backing away from the two, in fact he was standing in front of them quite forcefully.

"All I'm saying is that this filth being in my presence is an insult to me." The mobster was apparently irritated about his rival being in the establishment.

"An insult to you? Mon, I don't need this shit from you!"

"Gentlemen, stop it, now." The man's voice was showing a hint of anger, and the two stopped arguing immediately. Leo internally had to admit, the presence that this guy had was impressive. "Look, think of this place as being Switzerland, everyone is allowed in, no matter what group they belong to or what enemies you have. Management doesn't give a damn about what you do outside these walls. You can hate each other, you can go to war with each other, you can kill each other all you want out there. But in here, you will play nicely, or you and your friends won't be allowed to come back. Is that clear?"

"I can control myself, sure. I can't speak for the rest of my crew, though." The mobster spoke up.

"De same goes for me friends." Leo had focused on the conversation enough to just barely pick out the voices from the rest of the ambient noise. In the process , he realized that the other man wasn't Haitian, as he'd initially thought, but Jamaican.

"Then you'd better keep your entourages small. We won't tolerate any violence on our property, from anyone. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to tend to." The man passed between the pair, only for his arm to be grabbed by the mobster. The man turned to look at the criminal, and the other let him go.

"I will comply, though I would prefer to not see this place be overrun with rats."

This comment got the Jamaican a bit angry, but a look from the long haired club employee caused him to stop before he could say or do anything, and he nodded. "We will be peaceful on dis property." The man nodded to this and left them alone, pausing to talk to a woman that Leo remembered seeing the night before, before heading upstairs and disappearing from view.

Leonardo turned to his two brothers, sighing slightly. "It's time to go. I'll grab Mikey." The other two nodded and headed for the door, as Leo grabbed the youngest brother and joined them.

"Dammit, Raph, calm down and be quiet." Raphael had been grumbling and complaining about having to sit in the shadows watching for this mystery man ever since they'd taken their positions in the darkness of the alley. From where they were, they could clearly see both entrances, as well as the lighted middle of the alleyway.

Almost exactly an hour after the man had spoken to Donatello, he stepped into the light of the alley. All four turtles were amazed at the silence of his movements, they had almost not even noticed his presence. The man didn't step too far into the light before he found a katana at his neck, causing him to stop. "Is that really necessary, Leonardo?"

"We need to know you're not armed." His calm, cool voice didn't seem to affect the man, who simply held out his hands.

"I have no reason to be armed for this meeting, though I suppose you can't take my word for it, can you?" As Leo held him at sword point, Raphael came over and checked him.

"He's clean." The red bandanna stepped back and Leo sheathed his sword. The other two stayed hidden for a few seconds though it quickly became apparent the man knew they were there.

"Thanks, though, if I might make a suggestion, it would be a good idea for you to keep your mouth shut, Raphael. I could hear you from half a block away, and if I was intending to harm you, I wouldn't have had any trouble getting the drop on all four of you."

This comment made Raph's already simmering anger boil over. He struck quickly, aiming to punch the man in the jaw. However, to everyone's surprise, the man was even quicker, grabbing Raph's wrist and pulling him to the side. At the same time he was doing this he swung out with a sweep, causing Raph to trip and fall face first into the wall of the nearby building. The man didn't let go of the red one's arm, either, twisting it behind his back, using his free forearm to pin his head against the wall.

As Raphael continued to struggle against the man, the other three prepared to fight, though they never got their weapons fully drawn as they realized what he was doing. Their guest had intentionally provoked Raph, though for reasons nobody knew. The man didn't acknowledge that he'd done so, even though it was obvious. After a few minutes of struggling, Raph finally began to calm down. As he did so, the man leaned in to speak to him.

"Your anger is a great asset to you, Raphael. However, if left unchecked and uncontrolled, it can do you much more harm than good. Channel your anger, control it. Do not let it control you like you are right now." After speaking, he stepped away from the red turtle, assuming a defensive position, preparing for Raphael to strike back once he was free. However, to even Leonardo's surprise, Raphael just sat there for a few seconds, before grumbling and getting to his feet, turning to face the man, wordlessly staring at him.

The man turned his attention to Leonardo, next. "I assume he's nearby. Perhaps we shouldn't keep him waiting."

The blue one nodded. "Don, Raph, take the rear, Mike, you're with me." And with that the two began climbing the fire escape nearby, heading for the roof. True to form, the man followed the first two turtles, with the middle brothers bringing up the rear, making sure nobody followed them.

Once on the roof, Leo led the group across several rooftops. The lead turtle couldn't help but be impressed both by the skill at which the mystery man had disabled Raphael, but also his ability to keep up with them. It was obvious that he'd had training. After a few minutes of running and jumping in a bit of a zigzag pattern, the turtles and their human escort landed on a roof of a small apartment complex. Sitting there, along the edge, under several layers of old clothes sat what appeared to be a small old man. He had his back to the five as they landed, though he seemed to sense their presence, as he raised his head as soon as they arrived.

"Master, he's here." Leonardo bowed, kneeling before the old creature.

"Good. You have done well, my sons." The old one turned around as he spoke, nodding to the turtles. Surprisingly to them, the man didn't flinch or react at all when he saw their leader was an old rat. Instead, the man simply smiled, his arms folded, as he bowed to him.

"So the rumors are true. It is good to see you again after all these years, Splinter." Now the turtles were even more surprised. Before they could ask how he knew their master, their father, the man continued. "I apologize, you probably don't remember me. After all, I was but a child when we last saw each other, and you were still in a cage."

Splinter looked at the man bowing to him, acknowledging who he was, with a small amount of curiosity. As he looked at the man and studied him, he suddenly he recognized the mannerisms from long ago. Gasping, he spoke, barely a whisper, the name he suddenly knew to be correct. "Adam."

The man stood back up, smiling. "You do remember, I'm impressed." The man stepped forward and nodded to the rat. "I am deeply sorry about Master Yoshi. It was us who found his body and reported the crime. We had searched for you, but obviously were never able to find you. I had given up hope of ever seeing you again, until I'd heard a rumor of a rat named Splinter who was living in a sewer in New York, teaching four turtles ninjitsu."

"Us? Who's us?" Raphael didn't know who this man was, but the fact that Splinter knew him and acknowledged him apparently as a friend seemed to calm him down slightly, though it only heightened his curiosity and awareness.

"Master Yoshi was a close friend of my master. It was he who convinced him to come to America twenty years ago. We were as surprised as anyone when we found out Oroku Saki had followed him. After Yoshi's murder, Saki disappeared, we were never able to find him, and didn't realize his new identity until it was too late. It is unfortunate that we were unable to gain justice for your master's death then, though I understand you've been able to acquire it since."

"Yeah, Shredder's finished, and so is the Foot." Raphael's cold, angry tone showed just how much hatred he had for the man who had led the ninja clan that had been the turtles' nemesis two years ago.

"No, the Foot isn't finished. Down, yes, but definitely not out." The four turtles were shocked by the man's revelation, though Splinter wasn't. He had considered the possibility already, though he was at a loss for who would take the group over. "They retreated to Japan after Shredder's apparent demise. My understanding is that there was a power struggle among those who were left, a struggle which recently was ended, though I do not know what their plans are going forward."

"No offense, dude, but I'm sure you didn't come up here to relive old times." Michelangelo's comment got everyone's attention, it was unusual for him to be this observant.

The man sighed, turning away from Splinter, and the turtles, walking over to the edge of the roof, seeming to think. "No, it's not. The truth is, I need your help." He turned to face the five once more. "I had always intended to meet you, though now I have a purpose in doing so. You see, the daughter of one of my employers was kidnapped last week. The ransom that was given to them is something they refuse to pay, and they have asked me to find her and free her, and bring justice to those who are responsible for her abduction."

"But why would anyone want to abduct the daughter of a nightclub owner?" Donatello's usual genius was slightly off target for once, and the man couldn't help but chuckle dryly as he shook his head.

"The night club is merely side work I do for fun, and intelligence gathering. My real employers have a much grander scheme they are operating on." The man sighed as he stepped back toward the group. "My employers have been given until the end of the week to pay up, or the kidnappers will kill her. There are many possibilities as to who is responsible, and to be honest, I am unsure as to where to start. That is what I need your help with."

"We hear and see things that you don't." Donatello was back to his usual insightful self. "But we haven't heard anything about a kidnapping. Is it possible that it's someone new?"

"New or not, it's someone big, considering what they've requested."

"They don't want money?" Leo's curiosity was peaked now.

"No, they want something else. A project my bosses have been working on for some time, one that nobody outside the company is supposed to know about."

"An inside job?" Raph's comment got a look of curiosity from Adam.

"We checked, all former employees are accounted for, and most of them wouldn't have had the clearance to know about this project anyway. Fact is, we've run through an entire list of possibilities and we know who doesn't have the capabilities, but we can't find a group that does. Since you are on the street much more than I am, I was hoping you might have a potential candidate that I hadn't thought of."

"It is possible we can find something by working together, Adam. After all, it could be said that I owe it to you and Master Naka for taking care of Master Yoshi after his death." Splinter's first words since the conversation had begun caught everyone's attention. Adam immediately bowed to him.

"Thank you, Master. Your help is much..." Before he could finish, a sound came from behind the roof access point, catching everyone's attention. The four turtles immediately went for their weapons, while Adam simply stood up straight with an annoyed sigh. "Jade, come on out."

From behind the stairway, the young Asian woman that the turtles had seen at the club appeared. Unlike Adam, Jade was armed, with both a whip and at least three daggers visible around her waist. She also had a sheathed sword in her right hand. She stood there bowing slightly to Adam as he nodded to her as well. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the club."

"I know, but I have a message that needed to be delivered immediately."

"And what is that?" As Adam finished speaking, a dozen black-clad warriors jumped down onto the roof, drawing their weapons and surrounding the group.

Jade sighed, unfurling her whip and getting into an attack position. "You are not alone."

_A/N: Yeah, a bit of a cliffhanger ending to the chapter, but I wanted to do the fight sequence all at once, so it gets it's own story! Yes, the next chapter will PROBABLY be all the fight sequence. As for who Adam's employer is, well, I've hinted at it a little bit, but it won't really be revealed for a couple more chapters._

_As always, please feel free to leave a review or comment!_


	3. The Ambush

_A/N: All right, I know it's been FOREVER since I've done any work on this story, but I got distracted with Kingdom Hearts. Typically I'll write whatever story is rolling around in my head at the time, and I'm taking a short break from the KH one to work on this and a few others I've stalled out on. Also, wow, I didn't even know until I went to put this chapter up that I'd never published Chapter 2! So, you get a 2 for 1 deal today!_

_So, this time around, as promised, is the fight between the heroes and the Foot. Not much plot development here, though one particular event will come into play in future chapters._

_Disclaimer: Don't own TMNT. Wish I did though... that'd be a BLAST!_

**Chapter 3 - The Ambush**

As the turtles and their new friends watched, several more ninjas joined them on the rooftop, bringing to total to around twenty. Although their uniforms and symbol were different, everyone immediately recognized the Foot. "Well, that answers that question." Adam mumbled, and Leo nodded in confirmation. Sighing, the human stepped away, more toward the center of the roof. "Well, since we all know each other we can skip the introductions and get right down to business. Jade, if you would, please?"

Before anyone could react, Jade had used her free hand to undo her whip, sending it out to a soldier near Adam, grabbing the staff in his hands with it. A flick of her wrist disarmed the soldier, sending the weapon into Adam's hands, which he immediately used to spin around and strike a soldier behind Splinter who was readying an attack on the elderly rat.

The entire rooftop exploded into action by that point. Adam and Splinter worked together for the most part, with Adam watching the master's back. Leo took out a pair of Foot soldiers by disarming one and throwing him into another. Raph managed to handle three at once simply by bull-rushing them and causing them to attack each other more often than him. Don used his bo's reach to take out four from a reasonable distance. Mikey held his own with three more, his nunchakus useful in disarming them then knocking them out. Jade, because she had the sheathed sword in one hand and her whip in the other, was forced to fight defensively. Even so, she managed to take down three soldiers.

All told, the fight took only thirty seconds, which seemed to annoy Raphael. "Aww come on! We used to be able to take care of this many BY OURSELVES in that amount of time!"

"These Foot soldiers are better trained than those we have fought in the past." Splinter's wise observations pointed out the flaw in the red turtle's logic quite quickly, which Raph sighed and nodded in confirmation to.

While the others were talking, Adam walked over to Jade, taking the sheathed sword from her. He immediately opened up a small pouch on the side of the sheath and pulled out a small device. When he put it in his ear, the others realized quickly it must be a communication device of some sort. Once it was securely in his ear, he strapped the sword to his back, before speaking only one word. "Sitrep."

Jade and Adam both stood still for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was less than the fight that had just occurred. Suddenly both of them looked at each other in alarm. "Where?" Jade's question caught the others' attention as both of the humans began looking around them.

"Damn." Adam's quietly cursed as he looked at Jade. The female nodded, she was obviously thinking the same thing he was, and he turned to address the confused turtles and their master. "This group was just the advance party, there's more on the way."

"How many?" Raph didn't seem concerned, he was ready for a fight.

"Fifty, at least." Jade's answer seemed to shock all of them a bit, including Raph. "And they're coming from all directions."

Adam looked around at the area they were in. All of the buildings nearby were taller than the one they were currently on. "And we're sitting ducks here. We need to move."

"Where to?" Mikey's question was fairly obvious.

"Ground level." At Jade's response, the five mutants all looked at her. "It's either that or take our chances on a position where we have no place to hide and they'll have the high ground."

"They are right." Splinter sighed. "We must move to street level in order to make the upcoming fight easier." Adam had already checked the ladder for the fire escape and was waiting for the others to join him.

"My van's in the alley. If we can get there before the Foot arrives, we might be able to avoid a fight altogether. But we'll need to hurry." The turtles nodded, and Jade took the lead, followed by Leo, Mike, Splinter, Don, Raph, and Adam. Once they reached the street level, the group ran for the nearby alley.

"Well, gee, no wonder we couldn't use that exit." Raph's annoyance was understandable. In the alley was a large white van with no windows, other than the necessary ones. There were no markings on it to separate it from the rest of the vehicles on the road, the vehicle of a true ninja. Currently, however, it's front passenger's tire was sitting directly on a manhole cover.

"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't even realize that was there." Nobody really bought Adam's apology, but they didn't have time to really think about it, as suddenly Adam was attacked from behind, causing him to drop the keys he'd pulled out of his pocket. "Damn!" He spun around and took out his attacker, only to see a dozen more Foot soldiers approaching.

"Guess we'll have to fight our way out of here after all." Don's assessment was accurate, as the Foot immediately attacked the gang. In order to keep from being completely overwhelmed, the heroes fought their way out of the alley and back into the open streets, so they'd have room to fight.

The group split up a bit, with Leo and Raph taking turns watching out for Splinter, though the elderly rat was more than capable of handling his own. Jade had worked her way off to the south side of the alley along with Don, while Adam and Michelangelo were near the center of the street.

Leo and Raph at one point found themselves back to back with each other. "Hey, Leo, is it just me or are there a lot more than fifty soldiers here?'

"Well, she did say she counted fifty. It's hard to say where she got that figure." Leo ducked a fist from one soldier and caught the man with an uppercut, that sent him right into one being knocked away from Adam.

"Satellites. Odds are, she could only see the rooftops, not the streets." Adam had kept his sword sheathed, and knocked down another soldier, hitting him a second time to put him out of commission. "Well, not all the streets, anyway." He blocked a punch from another soldier, countering with one of his own, knocking him out.

"Great, so we don't know WHAT we're up against." Raph was a bit annoyed at this news.

"Well, look at it this way, Raph, what we're up against now isn't too much to handle!" Mikey smirked but then took a shot to his beak for his trouble. "Ouch! Why you!" He responded by smacking the soldier, and several of his friends, with his nunchuckus as he started spinning around like a top. "Woo hoo! Mikey Tornado!" He exclaimed as he started making his way through the oncoming gang. Though several were able to dodge his attack, many others got taken out by it, right until he smacked against a light pole. "Oh, wow, spun out." Mikey shook his head, then ducked an oncoming punch, causing the soldier to hit the pole, before Mikey hit the soldier.

Meanwhile, despite his advanced age, Splinter was taking on two soldiers at once. It was obvious he was toying with them as he watched his sons take on the horde of soldiers, but after Mikey hit the pole, he decided to quit playing. A few seconds later, both soldiers, plus one who'd tried to sneak up on the rat from behind, were laying in a heap at the master's feet. When Mikey shook off the blow to his head, Splinter only shook his in embarrassment. "Kids..." He was forced back to the task at hand, however, when another solider tried to attack him.

Don had managed to use his weapon's reach to his advantage, keeping a dozen soldiers at bay. While the gang was trying to find a hole in Don's defenses, they were getting picked off by Jade and her whip. One got a bit too close to Don, but was soon face first in the concrete thanks to Jade. "Hey, thanks, girl."

"Be mindful of your blind side, Donatello. This many enemies, it is easy to get surrounded." As she spoke she had to dodge an attacker trying to get at HER blind side. Spinning around she caught the opponent on the chin with an uppercut, before using her whip to grab the soldier's wrist and throwing him to the ground.

"Impressive." Donatello swung out at her with his staff suddenly. The blow went over the crouching woman's head, smacking a soldier that had tried to get the drop on her. "But perhaps you should take your own advice."

"Maybe we should watch each others." She smiled to Don. The turtle nodded his confirmation, and the two went back to eliminating all in their way.

As the fighting continued, a pair of soldiers found Adam's dropped keys and proceeded to try to steal his van. Upon turning the ignition, however, the vehicle exploded in a ball of flame and debris. Adam and Raph had been closest to the van at the time, and were both knocked off their feet by the blast. Scrambling back, they both stared at the remnants of the van, before looking at each other. "Holy..."

"Shell!" The turtle finished for the human. "Guess it's a good thing we didn't get to it in time."

"Yeah." Adam paused for a second, holding his ear. "Damn." A whistle pierced the air and everyone looked to Jade.

"Time to go! That explosion has already prompted several 911 calls! Cops are on their way!"

Adam looked to Raph and the others, who were joining up with the pair. "You guys get going, I'll cover you." The group nodded their confirmation.

"This way." Leo lead the group to the nearest manhole cover. Adam stayed nearby, fending off soldiers with his sword while producing several pellets from a hidden pocket in its sheath. Once the cover was open and the group was entering the sewers, Adam threw the pellets down onto the ground. The explosion and smoke stunned several soldiers who were close, giving Adam a chance to knock them back before joining the group underground and closing the manhole.

"Ugh, what's that smell?"

"Really, Jade, after everything we've been through, you're going to be upset a bout the smell in here?" She shrugged her shoulders in response.

"I doubt we'll be able to contact Rose from in here, we'll be going blind."

"Well, that depends on where you're wanting to go, lady." Mikey smiled as he stood next to her. Jade only groaned and shook her head.

"First off, the name's Jade. Second, no offense, but not interested." Michelangelo pouted a bit at the rather blunt shoot down. Adam could only laugh at the interaction.

"Don't take it personal, Mikey. She doesn't like guys."

"Wait, you mean she's a...?"

"Yes." He shrugged to the young turtle, before turning his attention to the others. "I'm afraid we're going to need your help."

"What do you need, Adam?" Splinter spoke up before anyone else could.

"Transportation. Rose will have informed our employer of the situation, but we still need to return to base and regroup." He looked at the others. "If you wish to help, you are welcome to come with us."

"The Foot is back in town, and they just tried to kill you, and potentially us as well. I want to know why." Raph's comments had a very threatening tone to them. Adam nodded to him in response.

"I... apologize for that. I may know why, but I am not allowed to say. Not until we return to base."

"Then let's get going. I know just who to call to get some transportation!" Mikey smiled as he pulled out a rather odd looking phone.

_A/N: Wow, I expected this to be a short chapter, but even so, this is TINY! Oh well, it serves it's purpose. Anyway, onto discussing this chapter, huh?_

_Yeah, you can probably guess who Mikey's calling. Next chapter will be the conversation between them and probably their meeting. I do have something planned for that meeting, so the next chapter will probably be longer than this one._

_As always, please feel free to leave a review or comment!_


	4. A Broken Foot

_A/N: Well, here's more work on Return of the Foot Clan. This time around, we learn what happened to the Foot after the events of the second movie, as well as a few revelations about Adam and Jade._

_Disclaimer: TMNT is owned by... uh... Nickelodeon now, I think, but any way, it's not owned by me!_

**Chapter 4 – A Broken Foot**

A red-haired woman stood behind a counter in an old antique shop somewhere in downtown Manhattan. She sighed as she started putting things away in preparation to close up for the evening. Suddenly a phone beeped in her pocket. She pulled it out and answered it, knowing that there'd only be a few people who'd call her this late. "Hey guys, Raph run off again?"

There was some snickering on the other end of the line before Michelangelo answered. _"Actually, we do need your help, but not to find Raph. He's right here."_

"_Gee, thanks guys! You'd thing she'd know that Casey's upstairs still!"_ Raph's voice came through the phone, causing the woman to giggle a bit.

"Actually, Casey's on patrol right now. So, what's going on?"

"_We have a problem and need transportation. Can we borrow your van?"_

"Only if you tell me what's going on."

"_Tell her we'll let her know once we arrive."_ That voice she didn't recognize. The idea that the turtles were bringing a stranger to her was unsettling.

"Guys, what's going on? Who are you with?"

"_Uh, we'll explain once we get there. Take us about half an hour from here. Oh, and you might want to put away the mouse traps, April. Splinter's coming with us!"_ April sighed again at this news. If the turtles' elderly teacher was out of the lair, something big was going on.

"All right, I'll find Casey and see you when you get here."

"_You're the best, Dudette!" _Before April could say any more, the line disconnected. The woman dialed another number, that of her boyfriend.

"Case? Yeah, it's me... The guys are coming over, and bringing someone with them. An hour. All right, see you then. Bye." As she hung up the phone, the bell above the front door rang, someone entered her store. "Sorry, but we're closing for the night." April commented before turning around to see three black-clad ninjas and an Asian woman standing in front of her. April immediately recognized the symbol on the ninja's headbands and gasped as she backed away from the group.

The woman bowed slightly to April upon catching her attention. "Good evening, Miss O'Neil." The woman watched April's reaction and sighed silently. "We are not here to harm you. I wish to introduce myself to your friends."

"Bullshit." April was surprised to see the Foot, but her bravery quickly reclaimed her. "You're here to kill them."

"No, we aren't." The woman shook her head. "The Foot is not what it once was. I'm here to prove that to them, and to anyone else who will pay attention. So, please, contact them, ask them to come. Tell them that the new head of the Foot wishes to speak with them, if you want." The woman's words struck April as odd. Why would she not care if the Turtles knew the Foot was here? Realizing that it didn't matter, she sighed and shook her head.

"It won't be necessary, they're already on their way."

The woman nodded. "Then we can wait for them. You said you were getting ready to close, go ahead and do so." She then proceeded to look around the antique shop, as the other soldiers stood by, waiting, watching. April proceeded to take care of the money in the register, and secure a few valuables, incredibly surprised and intrigued that the Foot, and especially this mystery woman, were making no attempts to rob her.

"Something's not right." Leo commented from the shadows of the alley across from April's shop.

"How so?" Adam looked out at the shop as well. It had taken them almost a half an hour to get from the point where they'd accessed the sewers to the exit near April's complex. Adam was silently surprised that the smell of the sewers hadn't made its way onto their clothes, or the mutants' skin and fur. He shrugged it off as Leo answered his question.

"It's after midnight, but her door's still open and the light's still on in the window." The blue turtle pointed these out. "She'd normally have the door locked and the lights downstairs off by now. Even if there's a late customer, the one in the window should be off." Indeed, the outer door, a more sturdy one than the storm door that April kept shut was still hanging open, and in the large window to the left of the door, her "Open" sign was still lit up.

Adam considered this for a few moments before motioning the gang back further into the alley. "All right, I'm going to go in, you guys wait here for the all clear." As he spoke, he removed his sword from his back, handing it to Jade.

"What?"

"Huh?"

"No way."

"Why you?" All four turtles had an issue with Adam's plan. The human wasn't surprised by this.

"Because if there is someone there, they're probably waiting for you, not me. And I can pass as a late customer, at least long enough to find out what's going on." The group had to admit, he had a point.

"How will we know when it's safe?"

Adam turned to his companion. "Do you have it?"

"Yes." She commented as she pulled a metal device out of her pocket. She opened it up to reveal a small speaker set and what appeared to be a microphone. At the mutants' obvious surprise and curiosity, she added. "It's tuned to the same frequency as our earpieces. You'll be able to hear everything we can, but... we'll also be able to hear everything going on around this device, as well. Think of it like a phone on speaker."

"Well, why didn't you use this on the roof to begin with?"

"And broadcast our plans to everyone within earshot?" Jade looked questioningly at Raphael. At her words, he grew quiet, realizing that she was right, it would have been stupid to use the speaker device during the fight. And if it operated on the same frequency as the earpieces, there's a good chance that it wouldn't work underground either.

"All right, I"m heading in. You guys stay here, and stay quiet." Adam nodded to the group, glancing at the relatively quiet rat, whose only noise was a slight pant from the exercise he'd gotten tonight.

"Take care, and be safe. We'll be here if you need help."

"Thank you, Master. It should be all right." Adam nodded again and left the alley, approaching the shop.

The ringing of the bell caught April's attention as she continued to work behind the counter. "I'm sorry, sir, but we're closed."

"Oh, I know, I'm just supposed to meet..." He trailed off as he picked up a familiar scent in the air. Growling slightly he turned his attention to the various rows of antiques in the shop. "I know you're there, Karai. Come out!"

"Karai?" Raph looked curiously at Jade. The woman's expression had become one of shock, as well as her face paling a bit at the mention of the name, but simply shook her head, pointing to the microphone. Getting the message, the red turtle nodded and shut up.

At Adam's command, the woman and her three companions stepped out from their hiding spots between the shelves. "You got a lot of nerve coming here after the stunt your friends pulled."

The woman looked at Adam with a shocked and confused expression on her face. "I don't know what you're talking about, Adam. I arrived in New York two days ago and have not begun any active operations in this city yet."

"Bullshit, Karai! You run the Foot now! My friends and I were attacked tonight, by at least sixty of your goons. Hell, someone even wired my van to explode!" He gestured to the three behind her. "I take it you're here to try to finish the job?"

"No, I'm not." Karai sighed as she turned her attention away from Adam, trying to assimilate the information he'd given her. "I came to try to make amends with the turtles."

"Yeah, well, your friends don't seem to want to make amends."

Karai considered Adam's words for a few minutes, before nodding. "Though I won control of the Foot clan, several of my predecessor's most hardline supporters rejected my ascension. They broke off and started a new clan, stealing our name and logo in the process." She turned her attention back to Adam. "It would be that group who attacked you tonight. I didn't even know they were here until just now."

Karai sighed, motioning for the others to leave. "I had hoped to meet with the turtles and make amends. If they were with you when you were attacked, then now is neither the proper time nor place to try to do so. We'll be in touch." She nodded to Adam and turned to leave.

"A word of advice, Karai?" Adam's statement made her pause in the doorway. "Get your house in order, before the termites and other pests cause it to all fall down around you."

"I intend to." She bowed again to Adam, before turning and leaving the shop.

Adam watched her leave and waited for confirmation from the other end that Karai and her entourage had left the area. Upon hearing it, he told the group. "All clear." About a minute after Adam's words, the four turtles, Splinter, and Jade were entering the shop. April was happy to see the five mutants, though she had no idea what was going on.

"Casey here yet?" Raph's tone was one of slight annoyance.

"No, he should be back soon, though." She looked a bit nervous. "Is it true, what he said?"

"About his van bein' blown up? Yeah." Don and Mike had turned off the light and locked the front door, and were now approaching the group.

"All right, well, come on, let's go upstairs." She glanced at the two humans before adding. "I suppose introductions and explanations can wait until Casey arrives." Both nodded at the statement, they had been about to suggest the same thing.

Once the group was in the living room waiting for Casey, Mikey spoke the question that had been annoying him since they were in the alley outside. "Who was the girl on the radio?"

"Her name's Rose. She handles most of our intelligence gathering and dispersing, as well as communications. She's essentially our network hub." Jade's voice seemed to take a slight bit of pride when she spoke of the other woman. This didn't go unnoticed by the turtles.

"Hey, is she.."

"Michelangelo!" Splinter's harsh tone cut the orange turtle off in mid sentence. "That is none of our business." Despite the scolding, Jade had to giggle a bit at the question.

"Well, it's... complicated, Mikey." She smirked to him, which only got him a bit more confused. Before he could say anything else, a thud out on the fire escape caught everyone's attention. It was early fall, and the windows in the apartment, much like the door downstairs, were left open on occasion. Before anyone could move, a fairly muscular man with long black hair wearing in a hockey mask, tank top, and jeans climbed through the window, causing April to sigh and shake her head.

"Dammit, Casey, you know that's a good way to get yourself hurt, especially after what's been going on tonight."

"What are you talking..." Casey looked around the room, noticing two humans with their hands on their weapons, and the mutants all on high alert. "... about?" He removed the mask from his face, revealing the obvious confusion he had. "Hey, guys... uh... what's going on?" He asked as he took the golf bag he kept his weapons in off from his shoulder.

"The Foot's back." Raphael almost spat out in anger. Casey's confused look quickly became one of annoyance and anger as well.

"Why those bastards..."

"Casey, calm yourself. There is more." Somehow, a few words from Splinter managed to get the hotheaded human to calm down almost immediately. "The Foot seems to have broken into two groups, one of which wishes to right the wrongs committed in the past."

"Right, well, that's all well and good, but who are these two?" Casey was still a bit upset. At his question, though, everyone's attention turned to the other two humans in the room.

"Right." Adam sighed as he stepped forward. "I am Adam, this is Jade. We work for a company which all of you are familiar with. A week ago, the daughter of one of the company's leaders was kidnapped by an as yet unknown group, though tonight's events give us more data to consider. At any rate, we have until Friday to find where she's being held and free her, otherwise the kidnappers plan to execute her."

"Why not pay the ransom?" April had to ask. "Surely if it's a large company they could pay it easily."

"They don't want money, they want all the research and data into one of our company's most classified projects." Jade sighed. "With the loss of our van, I'm afraid we need to ask to borrow yours so that we can return to base and regroup."

"Not unless you take us along." Casey was adamant in his voice. Adam nodded.

"We already discussed it and planned on allowing you to come. I'm sure our employer looks forward to seeing you again, Miss O'Neil."

"Right, and just who IS your employer? And where are we going?" She had grabbed the keys off the kitchen counter and was heading for the door as she asked.

"Well, if I say where, I'm sure you can figure out who. Vale, New Jersey." April stopped at his words, gasping in surprise. The turtles also recognized that location.

"TGRI." Raphael sounded almost afraid as he mentioned the company.

"It's actually TCRI now, but yes. The company had to re-brand itself after the debacle that was Tokka and Rahzar in order to survive, and they've given up research on the ooze for the most part. Now they're more concentrated on the stars, and space travel."

"Why the change?" Donatello asked the obvious question to Adam's explanation.

"It was a decision that came down from the company's leadership. I'm sorry, but that's all I'm allowed to say." Adam shrugged his shoulders in apology.

"What about you?" Casey asked Jade. "Do you even speak?"

"Of course I do, I just choose to let Adam do most of it, since he's more familiar with you than I am."

"How is that anyway?" Casey obviously hadn't heard about Adam's past.

"Seventeen years ago, I was in training under a friend to Master Yoshi. It was my Master and I who helped with his and his fiance's funerals. Between my work at TCRI, my knowledge of Master Yoshi's past, and the friends I still have in Japan, I've been able to keep track of the turtles since they first met the Foot, and the Foot itself for much longer than that."

"And yet you didn't know they were in New York? You didn't know about the split?" Raphael was getting angry again. Adam held up his hands in defense.

"Immediately after Shredder's defeat and apparent death, the Foot all but disappeared. For eighteen months they were completely invisible, completely silent. Six months ago, word got out that the reason for their disappearance was that there was a power struggle among the Foot's leaders as for who'd replace Saki. Three weeks ago, Karai was officially named the head of the clan."

By now, the group had managed to get to the parking lot behind the shop. April was unlocking the van so they could all climb in. "What about Tatsu. Wasn't he Shredder's right hand man? I would have thought that he'd be the rightful heir to the throne."

"He would have been, except for two problems." Jade replied. "First, he was arrested when the cops showed up at the club. He's been in state prison awaiting trial ever since. Second, with no body, it took a while for people to agree that Shredder was gone, and once he was declared deceased, leadership would automatically go to his next of kin, should they want it." Adam was the last to enter the van, sitting directly behind April on the middle row drivers side. He placed his sheathed sword between his legs.

"But Shredder had no family, right?" Leo wondered aloud.

"Wrong. He has a daughter. Adopted, but his nonetheless." This revelation caused a ripple effect through the van as April pulled out of the lot.

"Karai, she's Saki's daughter?" Adam nodded at Mikey's conclusion.

"So why the power struggle if the lines of leadership are that clear?" April looked at the humans via the rear view mirror as she asked the question.

"Karai and Saki differed greatly on their views of the world. Saki was power hungry and was willing to do anything to get more power. Karai thought that the Foot could and should be more honorable in it's activities. Saki had all but disowned her before he brought the Foot to New York. Because of that, his most loyal followers had challenged her right to lead, using some old law within the clan's code."

"Because of their invocation of that law, it took them over a year to sort through the red tape and come to a decision on the clan's leadership." Adam added to Jade's explanation. "I'm afraid I don't know the exact rules that the law invokes, but it allows for other leaders to challenge the one who is in line for leadership. When this happens, a vote occurs among the leadership of the clan. A 65% majority vote is needed to settle the question."

"So Karai had to get 65% of the Foot's leadership to vote for her in order to take control."

"Exactly, Raphael. Normally this wouldn't be too difficult, but according to the rumors that I heard, there were almost a dozen challengers to Karai's right. And there is a law that says anyone can challenge if they are recognized as being at least a local leader of the clan. However, the only way to end a challenge is for one to rescind it, or to die."

"So because of all the people wanting leadership, it caused an internal war." Splinter sighed and shook his head. "I am impressed that the Foot survived such an ordeal at all."

"They almost didn't. They still may not, if what Karai said earlier is true." Everyone nodded at Adam's words.

"Hey, guys, it's going to take us a couple hours to get to Vale. Maybe you should try to get some rest." April had been listening to the conversation, and hated to see it end, but she also knew that once they got to their destination, it could be a while before anyone got the opportunity to sleep.

"It's a good idea, April. Stop at the station at this intersection. I'm going to need to be the one driving when we get to TCRI, otherwise we won't get past the gate." Adam handed her a piece of paper with two street names on it. She recognized the corner as being about a half mile from TCRI's main office building.

"All right. Sleep well, you guys." She smiled to the group and everyone settled in for some rest.

_A/N: Ugh, I went from a pretty SHORT chapter to a relatively LONG one! I almost broke this up into two chapters, but I decided that it all fit together better as one. I'm not sure how well I got across the points I was trying to make, but it's good enough, I suppose. I had to reread the first two chapters in order to see if I'd introduced Rose by name yet, and noticed I called Jade "Rose" in the first chapter. It has been fixed._

_Also, Karai and Adam have a history together which extends beyond the Foot and TCRI. I do intend to get into that eventually._

_Next chapter we get to meet Professor Perry, and I'll actually probably have Chief Sterns make an appearance as well. I'm still debating a bit on the order of events that I have planned out, so I can't say what else is in store yet for the next chapter._

_As always, please leave a review or comment!_


	5. Heading to Jersey

_A/N: Another part of the Foot's Return. Okay, so that's not the actual title of the story, I just don't want to write out the whole thing. This time, the police get on the trail of Adam, while the heroes head for Jersey and a meeting with TCRI's top brass._

_Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT any more than Michael Bay does. That said, I might stay truer to the established canon than he will._

**Chapter 5 – Heading to Jersey**

By the time Chief Sterns pulled up to the scene, there were at least a dozen other emergency vehicles there, as well as reporters from every news outlet in the town, and a few national ones. Police were doing their best to keep the press away from the scene while they cleaned it up. Several soldiers were being led to a large van parked in the middle of the street, while others were being loaded into ambulances for transport to area hospitals. Those would be arrested later. In the alley, firefighters had already put out the van, and there was confirmation of two bodies inside it. Sterns ignored the reporters asking for his comments on the situation as he made his way over to a lieutenant who had been in charge.

"Damn pajama gang, I thought we were done with them." The lieutenant was muttering as the chief walked up. "Oh, sorry, sir."

"Don't worry about it, I feel the same." The chief was in an even more sour mood than normal. "What the hell happened?"

"According to the witnesses who called it in, and those we've managed to talk to, the pajamas jumped a group of people as they headed for the van over there. Fight broke out, some pajamas got in the van, which promptly exploded. Everyone cleared out after that, and nobody knows where anyone went."

"And the van's owner?"

"We're running the plates now. According to witnesses, the van's parked in this alley at around noon every day for the last month. Driver's described as having long brown hair and usually wearing a knee-length black coat. He leaves it there until late at night, around 3 AM."

At that point, a detective ran up to the pair, panting a bit, with a notepad in his hand. "Lieutenant, Chief." He saluted his two superiors.

"What is it, Anderson?" Sterns was still annoyed with this nightmare unfolding in front of him.

"The van's registered owner is an Adam Thompson." Anderson looked a bit nervous as he delivered this information.

"And?" The lieutenant was starting to get annoyed as well.

"Well, sirs, there's a problem. You see, other than a birth certificate, drivers license, and the title to that van, there's no evidence of an Adam Thompson ever existing."

"He'd have an address on his license." 

"Yes, Chief. It's to a Post Office box in lower Manhattan. The techs are trying to see if they can find anything in national databases on this guy, but for all intents and purposes, he's like a ghost."

The chief sighed at that news, but the lieutenant spoke up. "There's a new nightclub about half a mile from here. Maybe he's there."

"All right, you and Anderson go check it out. Let me know what you find."

"Yes sir." The two nodded to the chief and left. 

April approached the turn off that led to the freeway they were going to use to get to New Jersey. However, she passed the turn, something which she was surprised that Adam noticed, as she thought everyone had fallen asleep except herself.

"I thought you knew where you were going."

"The van's on empty. I need to fill up before I get on the highway."

"Oh." Adam nodded slightly. "That's actually good. I need a drink."

April chuckled slightly at that. "You work at a bar and you need a drink?"

"A soda or something. No alcohol. Would you like some tea, Master?"

April was surprised at Adam's last comment, she looked up again and noticed for the first time that Splinter was indeed awake. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's all right, child. I was already awake. And some tea would be nice, Adam." The old rat sighed as he looked out the window.

"You don't leave home much anymore, do you?" Adam's attention was solely on the ninja master now.

"No, I do not." The rat sighed again. "Tonight's trip was the most exercise I've gotten since we moved into our current lair." He continued looking out the window. "There is a part of me that very much misses seeing the sights and sounds of the above ground world."

"But you fear what would happen to you and the others if you remained above ground, especially during the day." Splinter turned his attention to Adam at the human's comment. "Professor Perry mentioned your apprehension at them taking on the Foot, and risking being seen. I can only imagine your fear and concern when the papers published those photos."

"Some of it was warranted. There are those who wish us harm simply because we exist. I am not sure your company is not one of them."

Adam nodded at Splinter's words. "Your creation was a mistake, an accident, yes. But even accidents can be considered to be experiments, with knowledge and insight obtained from them. And my employers are curious to see the continued results of your creation, so they have no reason to want you removed."

By now, April was pulling into the gas station. Adam climbed out of his seat in the middle row and headed inside while April pumped the gas.

Detective Anderson had been forced to park his car nearly half a block from the Safe Haven due to the congestion of people and vehicles in the area of the nightclub. As the pair approached the bouncer, he held up his hand to stop them. "Sorry, guys. Those are nice costumes, but we're already at capacity, so I can't let you in."

"I am Detective Anderson, this is Lieutenant Smith, NYPD. We want to speak to the owner of this place."

The bouncer chuckled slightly at the pair. "Yeah, you guys are NYPD, just like they are." He gestured to several people in line dressed in police uniforms. "You're going to have to wait like everyone else."

Smith sighed. "All right, let's try this. Did you hear an explosion about 90 minutes ago?"

"Yeah, it came from the west."

"Did you report it to the police?"

"No."

"Why not?"

The bouncer chuckled at this question. "Because I don't have a cell phone with me and I'm not allowed to leave this spot. I did report it to the manager, though. If you really are the police, you can call them. Here." The man pulled out a business card and handed it to Smith.

Smith glared at the bouncer, taking the card and pulling out his phone. The line rang twice before it was picked up by a woman. _"Hello?"_

"Hi, miss. This is Lt. Smith of the NYPD. I'm here at Safe Haven trying to find out about a man named Adam Thompson." At the mention of the name, the bouncer visible paled. He suddenly became very uncomfortable.

"_Ah, yes. You're here about the explosion. I talked to Mr. Thompson an hour ago. He's aware of what happened and will speak to your chief sometime tomorrow."_

"Then he was involved in the assault and murder that took place earlier tonight?"

"_You'll have to speak to him tomorrow. I'm sorry, but that is all I will say at this time. Have a good night." _The line then went dead, and the bouncer suddenly put his hand over his ear.

"All right, ma'am." The man turned to the two cops. "Mr. Thompson will be here at 3 PM tomorrow to speak to you or Chief Sterns. Beyond that, I'm afraid you're going to need a warrant to enter or wait in line like everyone else."

Adam returned to the car with Splinter's tea and a soda for himself. He'd even gotten April some coffee and paid for the fuel. Splinter noticed Adam's choice of beverage. "Why do you drink that?"

"Well, normally, I'd take tea or milk, but tonight's events left me a bit drained. On top of that, I haven't had a real schedule for sleep for the last couple weeks. I need to be able to stay awake for at least a three more hours, but my body's screaming at me to shut down for a while."

Before the master could say anything else, Adam's phone went off. He pulled it out and looked at the text he'd received. "Great, cops are already looking for me. Looks like I get to talk to them tomorrow afternoon."

"About the van?" April was understandably concerned.

"I would assume so." Adam chuckled a bit suddenly. "They probably also want to know if I actually exist, since other than the necessities, there's no record of me. Almost everything's run through TCRI, including my residence and passports."

"How's that even possible?" The reporter was a bit confused.

"Most of the international travel I do is for them. As such, they arrange various things through the government for me to have safe passage."

"So you get to travel wherever you need to go without having to worry about the security or red tape." The rat seemed to understand quite quickly.

"Yes. TCRI has a few friends in high places and are able to pull strings occasionally to get their employees through some doors that are normally locked. Of course, traveling under someone else's name helps, too." Adam smirked. "That's how Karai was able to come here, after all."

"She used Shredder's connections." Splinter came to the conclusion, and Adam confirmed it.

"Though Shredder distanced himself from her, others were aware of her relationship to him and offered their assistance to her after his death."

"So she's not here legally."

"I don't know for certain, April. It's possible she came here through legitimate channels. I doubt most of her followers did, however. It's not like she's a known criminal on this side of the Pacific. Hell, thanks to her cloak and dagger routine, not many know about her activities in Japan."

"Do you trust her, Adam?"

"I do, Master. My employers don't." Adam sighed. "They believe she is as dangerous as her father, and just as devious as well. Though it's true that she is capable of being just as violent and dangerous as Saki, she has a conscience and a sense of honor. If she says she had nothing to do with tonight's events, then I don't believe she did."

Splinter nodded to the human. "Then I shall trust your judgment and my sons and I shall meet her when the opportunity presents itself." The old rat sipped his drink. "Thank you for the tea."

"You're welcome, Master." Adam nodded to him. He turned back to look out the window as the van began traveling along the bridge that led from New York to New Jersey.

"You have got to be KIDDING ME!" Sterns was blowing up again upon finding out about Adam's request. "Since WHEN do the POLICE get told by SUSPECTS WHEN THEY CAN SPEAK TO THEM!"

"Uh, sir, it sounded as if Adam wasn't there. Perhaps he's in the hospital or something?"

"Well what are you doing standing here for, Anderson? GO FIND OUT!" Anderson jumped at Sterns' angry reply, heading quickly for the exit to his office. Once the detective was gone, Sterns opened up a file on his desk. "So, those pajamaheads are back in town? This may be an opportunity to take down those vigilantes that have been giving this department a bad name."

_A/N: Okay, so I didn't get to introduce Perry this time around. He'll appear next chapter for certain. As for Chief Sterns, yeah, he hasn't mellowed much. He believes the turtles are a menace to the city, running around being vigilantes and all. He wants to toss them in jail, or in some scientist's lab, whichever he can find. That may come into play later on in this story, I haven't decided yet._

_So, next chapter, as promised, will have the introduction of Perry to the story, and probably the first on screen appearance of Rose. Beyond that, I'm not sure what will happen. I do have certain events planned, but I'm not sure exactly when they'll occur._

_As always please leave a review or comment!_


	6. The Gathering Storm

_A/N: Wow, I don't know why I keep putting these chapters out so quickly. Well, it seems quick to me, at any rate, at least compared to some of the other stories. It's possible that it's because the chapters in this story tend to be a bit shorter than most of my other stories' chapters._

_So, this time around, we get a bit more information on what's going on, introduce to the story a few new characters, and essentially set up some of what's going to be coming in future chapters._

_Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. Though I wish I could get some of those royalties!_

**Chapter 6 – The Gathering Storm**

Two Foot soldiers walked side by side into the room. It was by no means huge, but it served it's purpose. This was Karai's private meeting room. The pair stopped at the end of the room and bowed before a large chair. "Mistress Karai." One spoke up.

Sitting on the chair was the leader of the Foot. She looked at them, surprised to see them. "You're back earlier than expected. You have a report?"

"Yes Mistress." The other spoke up. "It is as he said. The rogue Foot attacked them around midnight. In the melee, his van was destroyed. The police are currently searching for him."

"Sterns?" Karai's voice was a bit cold as she asked about that name.

"He seeks revenge against the turtles for doing what he could not. He may become a problem."

"That would be unfortunate." Karai sighed slightly. "You are dismissed for now. Get some rest. We will have busy days ahead." The two soldiers nodded before standing up and leaving the woman to her thoughts.

The turtles and the other humans had been awakened when April pulled into the station to switch positions with Adam. She apologized for that, as it was still going to be about ten minutes before they reached TCRI's main gate.

As they approached the gate, three men with machine guns stepped out in front of the gate, pointing their weapons at the van. Adam stopped short of the men, rolling down his window as a fourth approached. "Sir, this is a restricted. Oh." The man recognized Adam. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't recognize the car."

"It's all right, James. I had to borrow a friend's. I have some people who Professor Perry is going to want to see."

"Yes, sir. I'll let him know." The guard motioned to the others, who stepped aside as the gate opened. "Have a good evening."

"Thanks." Once the gate was open, Adam pulled forward and headed to the main building.

"You're well known." Leonardo's comment caught Adam's attention.

"I've worked here for five years, doing field work for the company. I started out where they were at one time, though in Japan. Essentially, I outrank them, and they know me because I've been around for so long."

"Five years is a long time?" Raphael seemed unconvinced.

"In my position it is. A lot of those in my position suffer a mental or psychological breakdown due to the stress."

"You're taking it well, though." Donatello mused as the group walked toward the main entrance.

Adam considered his words carefully before responding. "When you are granted the title of Guardian, you are also given access and knowledge that is a surprise, a shock. Most people can't handle it."

"Then how could you?"

"I was lucky in that much of what most people don't know about, I already did. This place has a lot of secrets, the ooze and you guys are just the tip of the iceberg."

Before the group had time to consider Adam's statements, they were approached by at least six security guards and another man in his late 50s wearing a white lab coat. Though his hair was a bit more gray than the last time they'd seen each other, the mutants and April immediately recognized their old friend. "Hello, Professor." April held out her hand.

"Ah, Miss O'Neil. What a pleasure to meet you again." Perry had a British accent as he took her hand and shook it, before looking over at the human standing next to her. "And you must be Mr. Jones."

"Casey." He shook the professor's hand as well. "Perry, right?"

"Professor Jordan Perry, yes. It's a pleasure." He then noticed the turtles and Splinter. "Hello again, my friends."

"Hey, Professor!" Mikey smiled as he greeted the older man happily.

"Professor Perry." Leo shook his hand next. Raphael didn't say anything, though he nodded as he shook the Perry's hand. Splinter, as well, was silent, not needing to say anything.

"Heard you've been keeping busy, Prof. Mind if I take a look at what you're up to?" Don's scientific mind was already calculating as he shook the man's hand last.

"Ah, I'm afraid that I can't allow that, Donatello. Rules from above my head." The professor smiled apologetically to the turtle. "Rose said you were on your way. I'm afraid that we haven't yet cleared out any rooms for all of you over in the barracks, so you'll have to make due with a storage area here in the main building." The Professor started walking down the hall, beckoning the others to follow. As they walked, he looked to Adam and Jade. "By the way, King isn't very happy with you two."

"What did we do now?" Jade, for possibly the first time since the turtles had met her, showed a bit of emotion, annoyance at Perry's statement.

"You let Karai go. You didn't even try to stop her."

"She's not involved in this." Adam had a slight edge to his voice as he spoke up.

"I understand your feelings, Adam. But King questions whether or not you are letting your personal feelings for her cloud your judgment. She is the leader of the Foot, the same group who attacked you tonight."

Adam grumbled angrily at Perry's words. "I'll deal with him in the morning." The exchange between the professor and the Guardian sparked the interest of the others in the group. By now they'd arrived at a large storage room, complete with seven cots, each with blankets and a pillow. It appeared that the room had been hastily converted into a bedroom, as there were still many boxes along the walls.

"So, what IS the relationship you have with Karai, anyway?" Raph had to pose the question first.

"It's... complicated, Raphael. That's all you need to know." Adam turned back to the professor. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to turn in for the night."

"See you in the morning. You're dismissed too, Jade."

"Right. Good night Professor, Master, everyone." The woman nodded to Perry and the others, before she joined Adam in leaving them behind.

The group watched them leave, before turning their attention back to the room. "I'm sorry about the accommodations. Most of the staff has retired for the evening, and we won't be able to get proper rooms ready until morning. The restrooms are down the hall and are marked. You are restricted to the rooms in this hallway, however, and guards will be posted outside to keep an eye on you. Again, this is not my doing."

"This will do for tonight, Professor." Splinter walked into the room and sat down on one of the cots. Everyone joined Splinter in finding a bed and sitting down, except for one of the turtles.

"Yeah, but what about the missing girl? When are you going to tell us about that?" Raph spoke up again.

"Raph, explanations can wait until morning. We all could use some sleep, even you."

Perry nodded at Leo's advice. "I was actually getting ready for bed myself when Rose called. I am sorry for not telling you what you want to know right now, but a few hours won't make much difference."

"Yeah yeah. All right, Night." Raph commented as he walked into the room. The door shut behind him, though it remained unlocked. The group decided to lay down on the cots, and despite the relative uncomfortableness of the makeshift beds, sleep quickly found them.

Sterns was putting on his jacket and getting ready to head home for the night, when someone knocked on his office door. "What is it?" The chief wasn't in the mood for more problems.

The door opened and two men walked in, immediately showing Sterns their badges. "I'm Agent Johnson, this is Agent Wilson. We're with the FBI."

"Yeah, I can see that. What can I do for you?" The cop was unimpressed.

"We're here about the transfer tomorrow." Wilson stated. A certain prisoner was being transferred in the afternoon from NYPD custody to FBI custody, and was to be flown out of New York to a federal detention center. The transfer was never publicly acknowledged, and Sterns didn't even know where the facility was the prisoner was being transferred to.

Sterns sighed and sat down. "What about it?"

"The incident tonight happened along the route you'd chosen." Johnson supplied the information this time. "The Bureau is concerned that the route may have been compromised."

"And you want it changed at the last minute?"

"We just want the route moved to 73rd Street instead of 69th."

Sterns considered Johnson's request. "All right, fine. Odds are that road's not going to be open by the time he's scheduled to be moved anyway. Is there anything else?"

"No, I think that's all. Thank you for your cooperation, Chief. See you tomorrow." Agent Wilson spoke as the two men left the office. Chief Sterns grumbled something about not liking the last minute changes and wondering what else would happen before everything was done.

Once outside, Agent Johnson pulled out a phone and dialed a number. After a couple rings, the line was picked up and a low voice answered. _"Yes?"_

"The Chief agreed to the change in the route. We are good to go tomorrow."

"_Good. You've done well. Tomorrow, the Foot will have what it wants."_

"Yes sir, but..."

"_But?"_

"Why are we working with them anyway, sir?"

"_That is none of your concern. Return to base for now. Tomorrow will be a big day."_ The line clicked, and Johnson hung up his end as well, sighing.

In an office somewhere in the city, a very tall Asian man stood looking out the window, putting his phone away. The man was just over seven feet tall, had long blond hair tied back in a pony tail and looked to be all muscle. His right arm was covered in a tattoo of a purple dragon, which was noticeable from the tank top that he wore.

Behind him, on the other side of the room, stood an African-American man in a white lab coat. This man was a foot shorter than the giant and wore fairly thick glasses, but despite his appearance of being a lab rat, he looked physically fit. It was the scientist that spoke first. "The Master wants a progress report."

The Asian man laughed at the scientist's words, turning to face him. "The Master will get what he wants tomorrow afternoon." He started walking toward the door, but paused next to the other. "Oh, and doctor? The two agents in our custody are no longer useful. Do with them whatever you wish."

"Excellent." The doctor smiled as the large man left.

_A/N: All right, I really messed with things this time around. I had originally planned on this chapter covering up through the meeting between Adam and Sterns, but I realized that it would have been about 8 pages long if I did it that way, considering what I want to have happen before and during that meeting. Because of that, I decided to split the night scenes and the morning scenes into two chapters. I also added the second half to this chapter in at the last minute, I originally didn't have the two characters, whose identities you probably already have guessed, appearing until AFTER Sterns meets Adam, and the FBI agents weren't in the story at all!_

_At any rate, next chapter will be Sterns and Adam meeting, as well as a few other surprises. King will definitely make an appearance, and Rose probably will as well. And you will also learn, if you haven't already guessed, who the man is that's being transferred. I know he was mentioned in another chapter._

_As always, please leave a review or a comment!_


	7. Half Truths

_A/N: All right, another TMNT chapter for you to enjoy. This time around, there's more plot development, and the meeting with Sterns and Adam finally takes place._

_As for the chapter's title: The main conversations in this chapter, the turtles being filled in on TCRI's problems, and Sterns and Adam's discussion, are full of truth, but not the whole truth. This will become obvious in future chapters._

_Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, though I used to have a lot of their action figures!_

**Chapter 7 – Half Truths**

There was a knock on the door to the storage room the heroes were in. A few seconds later, the door opened and Adam entered. "Morning, I hope you all slept at least a little." The turtles, and their human friends, had already been awake for almost an hour, and as such they were already dressed and ready to go.

"Slept about as well as usual. But you failed to deliver on your promise to us!" Raph was a bit annoyed at Adam. The human only nodded.

"In a few minutes I will make good on it. Circumstances prevented me from doing so last night as I'd said I would, and for that I apologize." He stepped further into the room. "There's a room down the hall which was locked last night. That is where we're going, if you would be so kind." Seeing as they had very little choice, the group stood up and walked with Adam to the room.

In this new room, there was a large table, easily capable of seating a dozen people around it. On the wall on the right, as the group entered through the door, were several monitors and screens, as well as a couple keyboards. It was obvious that this room was used for accessing and presenting information, though for what purpose, the gang wasn't sure.

"This is one of our conference rooms." Adam chuckled a little as he looked around at the assembled group. "The reason it was locked last night was because... well, it was occupied. I believe, however, that for the remaining duration of your stay here, it will be available to you."

"The duration of our stay? You make it sound like we are your prisoners." Leonardo spoke up first.

"And you did pretty much take us off the streets and bring us here, so it's not like we're free to go." Donatello added.

"It is not my intent to keep you here. You should be free to go tomorrow. April, I know you need to go to work today, so I'll take you with me when I go into the city after this meeting is over. As for the rest of you, it would be beneficial if you could stay here for today, and give King and the others as much information as possible, so that we can get this situation taken care of."

"Hey, Adam? Who IS King?" Mikey's question received another chuckle from the human.

"Ah, right. King is the chairman of the board here at TCRI. As such, he is both my boss and Professor Perry's as well."

"I thought Perry was the head of TCRI." Raph was getting annoyed, and impatient.

"He is the head of research, yes. As such, he is on the board, but he's not the head of the company." As if on cue, the door opened and Professor Perry walked into the room. He was followed by Jade, who in turn was followed by a man the gang didn't recognize. This man was just over six feet tall, with gray streaks in his black hair. He appeared to be in his mid fifties, and fairly fit. Unlike the professor, who was ready to go to work in the lab, this man was in a suit and tie.

Behind the man was a red-headed woman in a motorized wheelchair. She had on a green shirt and jeans, and despite her obvious handicap, also looked quite athletic. She smiled as she saw the turtles and their master, nodding to them. However, it was the man who spoke first. "I am glad to see that you were able to come." He had a noticeable English accent.

"It's not like we had much choice." Raph was his usual hot headed self. "Though, would you mind telling us why we're HERE instead of out there looking for this missing girl?"

"That missing girl is my daughter, Raphael!" At Professor Perry's uncharacteristically angry statement, everyone's attention turned to him. The turtles and their friends were all shocked and surprised at this revelation. Perry realized this quickly. "You didn't know?" He turned to Adam, obviously confused. "Why didn't you tell them?"

"King told me not to give them any information other than what was necessary to get them here." Adam shrugged.

"I see." Perry then turned to King. "Can I speak to you outside for a moment?" King nodded and the two men left the room.

"What in the hell made you think you had the right to tell him what he could and could not tell the turtles with regards to my daughter's identity?" Perry was obviously furious at being played by his own boss.

"The turtles are close to you. We need them here, so we can use their knowledge of the city to our advantage. If they knew before they got here that it was your daughter who was kidnapped, they would have torn the city apart looking for her, and we would never have gotten the chance to get the information they have!"

"You used my daughter's kidnapping to further your own goals?"

"Is that really that surprising?" Perry was understandably upset, and King's nonchalant responses were only infuriating the professor more. "Fact is, they are more useful to us here than out there."

Unknown to the pair outside, the door was left partially open, and everyone in the normally sealed room was able to hear every word that was being spoken and yelled. Several uncomfortable glances were exchanged between the turtles and the humans as they listened in. Even Adam seemed slightly disturbed by the argument.

"This is my daughter you're talking about! To hell with your plans!"

"And that is exactly why you were left out of the loop, Professor. We can't afford to get caught up in a war here, and you know it. But you would have had Adam tearing into every gang in the city searching for Maria. And because that fool cares so much for her, he would have gladly done it!"

As the turtles looked to Adam, he showed little emotion. It was obvious King's words had riled him up, but he was controlling his anger, as Splinter noted silently, much more successfully than Raphael.

"If you pull a stunt like this again, King, the gangs out there will be the least of your worries." Perry pushed past his boss, reentering the room. When he looked at the faces, and when King followed behind him, they both realized quickly that their private conversation had not been very private. Sighing, he shook his head and sat down. "I'm sorry, I didn't know about King's plans for you." He glanced over to Adam, who shook his head. "It appears none of us did. Please, would you help me find my daughter?"

"I didn't even know you had a daughter, dude." Mikey smiled as he sat down. The rest of the group followed suit.

"How come she didn't report you missing when the Foot kidnapped you two years ago?" Don's question started the conversation again.

"Because she didn't know." Perry was silent for a few seconds as he considered what to say. "My wife divorced me when she was ten and took her to California when she left. I hadn't seen her since until about eighteen months ago."

"What happened?" April's reporter instincts were kicking in.

"I got a call from a social worker in California. My ex-wife had terminal cancer and didn't want Maria to watch her waste away. She sent Maria to me to take care of her. Maria was still 16 at the time. I enrolled her in school here, and when she graduated, she decided she wanted to study genetics at New York University. Obviously, I agreed to help her with her schooling as much as I can."

"And now she gets kidnapped by someone who knows of your work." Leonardo's face was one of determination.

"King's right, we would have torn the city apart looking for her if we knew she was your daughter. We still will, once we go back." Raphael was definitely starting to let his anger get the best of him.

"You will go back." At King's words, everyone looked at him. "But not today. We have been having issues lately with the city and its gangs beyond Maria's kidnapping. We need your help in navigating these problems. If you will take today and go over all the data we have and help us with our problems, you will be taken back to the city tomorrow. Adam will see to it himself."

"I have to get back to work, King. I can't stay here or I'll get fired."

"I am aware, Miss O'Neil. Adam is leaving after this meeting to head to the city for his own work. You may accompany him."

"We will do what you request, King." Splinter spoke up for the first time since the argument started. "As long as you keep your word and release us in the morning."

"Unlike those you are used to dealing with, I do have some honor." With everyone in agreement, King stepped back and the woman in the wheelchair took center stage now.

"My name is Rose. We talked briefly last night." The group nodded and several of them started to open their mouths to speak, but Rose held up a hand. "Before you ask, no I wasn't always in a wheelchair. I was in a car accident a year ago which resulted in a broken back and nerve damage. I can still walk, but not very far. Some of TCRI's research is helping to get me to recover the full use of my legs."

"So what do you do, then?" Donatello was intrigued by this woman, even if she was already taken.

"I coordinate communications and information between Jade, Adam, and the others here at TCRI. I'm also a bit of a computer geek and a hacker, so I'm pretty sure you and I can learn quite a bit from each other, Donatello." The purple turtle blushed slightly at being called out by the woman. This led to a bit of a snicker from the other turtles.

"What do you need?" Casey was actually the one keeping the conversation going this time.

Rose turned to the computers near her and began typing. "We have acquired information on most of the city's gangs, including their home bases and territories. In the last week, due to our need to find Maria, we have been systematically checking them for her presence. Obviously, we have come up empty." On the screen, several circles and dots appeared, showing various gang territories and their home bases. Rose turned back to the mutants now. "The first question I have is whether or not we have missed anyone or anything."

"Well, let's take a look at what you have." Leo and the others approached the computer to look at the screen. As they did, King, Perry, April, and Adam moved toward the exit.

"We can leave them for now. You three all have work to do." Adam nodded to King's statement. April gave Casey a kiss on his cheek and the four humans walked out. King and Perry went deeper into the building while April and Adam got in April's van and headed for the city.

As they entered the city, April grew tired of the silence in the van. "So, where am I taking you, anyway?"

"Hmm? Oh, to Safe Haven." Adam was apparently lost in his thoughts as he looked out the window.

"You work there?"

"I manage it."

"Why?"

"Because it's different than working for King and TCRI. And it's useful in gathering intelligence and knowing what's going on around the city."

"Because of the various people who come there."

"Yes. It's hard to keep the peace, but I've proven that it's not impossible."

April considered this for a few minutes before asking a question that had been bothering her for a while. "Why do you work for King? He openly treats you like garbage, yet you are loyal to him."

Adam was silent for a while before answering that question. "When I turned eighteen, I joined TCRI's security force. At the time, my master, Master Naka, was a Guardian. Because of this, I was able to see and know many things most people just starting work at TCRI wouldn't. When I joined, I was stationed in Japan, far away from Master Naka. About five years ago, he came to see me. He told me that he had cancer and would be dieing within six months. He asked me to take his place in the Guardians when he was gone, to protect King and TCRI. I agreed. And now, I must honor my master's last request."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Adam. I didn't know."

"It's all right. Things happen." He smiled to April then turned his attention out the window once more. "Wow, that helicopter's flying low." His sudden comment caught April by surprise, causing her to look over at it.

"It looks like it's heading for the Nakura building."

"Nakura?" Adam looked at the reporter curiously.

"They're a multinational corporation. I'm not surprised you've heard of them. Though, there are rumors they are nothing more than a shell company." She shrugged a bit as she continued driving. "They are building a new skyscraper in downtown. Several floors are still unfinished, but others are already occupied. From the looks of things, that was probably one of the executives for the company." Adam nodded to his companion.

April was right, the helicopter was carrying a Nakura executive to their building. As the helicopter landed on the roof's pad, the man stepped out, flanked by two security officers. As he did, he was met by Karai, with security of her own. "Ah, Mistress Karai. It is a pleasure to see you again." The man bowed slightly to the woman. "Congratulations on your promotion."

"Thank you, Chen." Karai smiled. "It's good to see you too."

"What can I do for you today?"

"I need your help. I assume you've heard about the split." Chen nodded as he motioned for her to walk with him into the building. As she complied, she continued. "Several members of this fake Foot clan are here in New York. I need to know who's running their operations."

The man nodded in understanding. "You wish to know if any of your father's former associates are still active here."

"Yes."

"I will pull the files I have. Please, come this way." Chen led Karai and her soldiers to a conference room. On the way, he pulled out his cell phone and began speaking in Chinese to whoever was on the other end. Once he was done, he put the phone away. "The files will be here momentarily."

"Thank you, my friend." Karai smiled and sat down in one of the chairs.

It was nearly two in the afternoon when Chief Sterns walked out the back door to the police station with Lt. Smith and Detective Anderson. He was greeted by a van and three cop cars, their lights already flashing. Standing on the steps, waiting for him, were the two FBI agents he'd met the previous night. "Everything's set to go. The prisoner's all yours."

"Thank you, Chief. It's been a pleasure working with you." Johnson held out his hand, which Sterns shook. "You're not going to be in on the motorcade?"

"I have something else I have to do. I'm sure everything will be fine." Sterns nodded and he and his companions got into another car and drove off. A few seconds later, a cop approached Agent Johnson.

"Sir, we're ready to go."

"Good. You know the route, right?" The officer nodded. "Stick to it. We'll meet you at the airport."

"Sir?"

"There's a few loose ends that need tied up before we leave."

"Yes, sir." The officer turned and spoke to his partner, and the cops got into their vehicles and pulled out of the lot. Once they were gone, Agent Johnson joined his partner in the car. Agent Wilson was on the phone to someone.

"Yes, they just left. As you wish, sir." He closed the phone and put it away. "We're supposed to return to base."

"Good, I'm tired of dealing with these pigs." Agent Johnson smirked as he turned on the car and pulled out of the lot.

Karai had gone over several of the files in the conference room. Chen had to admit, she was just as determined as her father was, even if her goals were different. A knock on the door got everyone's attention, and Chen opened it, speaking quietly to whoever was on the other side. The person handed Chen another file, which he immediately brought to Karai. The Foot leader opened the file to look at it, and immediately paled. "Is this accurate?"

"They were found this morning. The police are still trying to identify them, but given the damage, it could take weeks to know for sure." Karai nodded and grabbed a file she had been looking at earlier. As she read through it, her expression changed from shock to concern, and if Chen didn't know any better, fear. Suddenly she looked over at one of her companions. "Send out a message to all members. Code Black."

Sterns arrived and as usual, the bouncer was outside. The man nodded, as he'd been expecting the trio of officers, and stepped aside to let them in, following behind them. Adam sat at the counter, sipping from a coffee cup. Above the counter a TV was showing Channel 6, though the volume was turned down. Adam looked up when the cops came in and nodded to them. Sterrns made his way down the stairs to Adam and the bouncer headed to the second floor offices across the dance floor.

"I'm impressed, you're early, Chief."

"I do believe in punctuality." Adam nodded to him again.

"You also believe in the letter of the law, right?" Sterns knew exactly what Adam was talking about.

"You going to tell me about last night?"

"Hmm, last night?" Adam shrugged a bit. "Myself and some friends got jumped by a gang of thieves. We fought back, some of them tried to steal my van, and the whole damn thing exploded."

"Why didn't you call us? Why didn't you report it?"

"I left my cell phone here last night. As for why I didn't stick around, I didn't believe that staying in a place where people were trying to kill you was a good idea. I left the city, took my friends to a place where they'll be safe, then came back here."

"Your friends." Sterns scoffed slightly at Adam's words. "They are vigilantes, freaks!" He was becoming angry at Adam's indifference toward the situation.

"Yes, they are." Adam looked at Sterns's badge. "Though, their vigilance wouldn't be necessary if you and your men could do their jobs."

"You DARE insult the NYPD!" Adam had definitely hit a nerve with his comment. Smith and Anderson moved to keep the two from doing something regrettable.

"Take it how you wish, Chief. Fact is, this gang formed under your watch, it damn near tore this city apart, and you turned a blind eye to it."

"I WHAT!"

"Where were you when teenagers were running away? Where were the police when nearly everyone in Manhattan was getting things stolen right out of their living rooms?" Sterns was actually turning red in the face from his anger toward Adam. Adam, for his part, was actually being quite calm. "Fact is, Chief, if it wasn't for the turtles, this city would be a lot more broken than it currently is." He sighed and finished the cup of tea. "Now, is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

At this point, Sterns was too angry and frustrated to speak up, so Smith spoke for him. "I think that's all for now, Mr. Thompson." Before anyone else could say anything, the show on the TV cut away to the news desk. Curious, Adam grabbed the remote and turned the volume up.

"-Live on location to April O'Neil. April, what's going on?"

The screen changed to April, standing with a microphone in her hand. Behind her, a police van had slammed into a light pole, causing it to crash down on top of it. Nearby, two police cars were engulfed in flames. Fire crews and more police were running around trying to get medical help for the surviving cops and put the flames out on the cars.

"Yes, June, as you can see behind me, there is utter devastation. The attack happened just as the cars were crossing Bleaker Street, heading down 73rd. According to witnesses, the two police cars were hit with some sort of rocket fired missiles or IED's. The van swerved to avoid the explosions and crashed into the power pole. After that, a group of thugs attacked the van and freed the prisoner inside. Though nobody has positively identified the prisoner, one source claims that it was a wanted terrorist named Yoshihama Tatsu."

Adam looked back at the chief. Sterns's anger had been replaced by shock as a result of the news report. Adam stood up and started walking away, heading upstairs.

"Hey, wait, where do you think you're going?" Sterns moved to stop him. Adam simply turned around, his expression unreadable.

"If she's right, then I fear this city's troubles have only just begun. Your attention is needed there, not here, and I have work to do. I trust you can show yourselves out?" Realizing that he wasn't going to get anything else out of Adam at this time, Sterns turned and walked toward the exit. "Oh, by the way, next time you want to talk, all you need to do is call." Adam smirked slightly to Sterns, whose anger quickly returned. The Guardian then disappeared into the hallway.

_A/N: Well, this chapter was a lot longer than I thought it would be, but I wanted to end it with the news report. Next chapter will be more on the attack on the van, and we'll get new information on the villains of the story! I have the ENDINGS of the next two chapters planned out, both of them will have fights, but I'm still trying to figure out how to get to those points._

_As always, please leave a review or comment!_


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